Administered by ChangeFusion Nepal, the Youth Action Fund in Nepal is being supported by The Open Society Institute (OSI) which created this fund as a flexible way to provide small grants and other support to encourage progressive, youth-driven initiatives. [break]
The applicants should be aged 15-29 years and should be currently residing in Nepal.
The proposal can be on any areas but with a focus on education, the environment and access to technology and independent media.
According to the press release, “The purpose is to identify, inspire, and support small groups of dedicated young people who can mobilize and influence large numbers of their peers to promote open society ideals.”
“This will be the first round of the process and is a very good opportunity for students who have innovative ideas. The idea can be a long-term or even short-term that lasts for around six months to one year,” informed Santoshi Rana, media and communication officer of ChangeFusion Nepal.
She said the youth always complain that they don’t get any opportunities here. “So, this is a great way for them to start their venture.”
Rana further informed that grant applications will be reviewed by staff at OSI-Budapest.
In cases where minor changes are needed or any part of the application is unclear, applicants may be asked to resubmit.
Complete applications will be forwarded to a three-person panel made up of one representative from the applicant’s home country, one representative of the OSI Youth Initiative, and one representative of OSI-Budapest.
The panel must unanimously approve the grant for the candidate to receive funding.
Proposals can be nominated for partial funding, in which case the panel will state items for funding. Grants will not be renewable.
However, successful projects may be eligible for additional funding through other initiatives of the Soros Foundations Network.
It is expected that some of the projects may have an entrepreneurial component that could allow them to become self-sustaining.
The deadline to send in the proposals is August 31. The application from can be downloaded at http://changefusionnepal.org/index.php/newsletter/NewsLetterTitleList and sent to yaf.changefusionnepal@gmail.com and snail mailed to PO Box 836.
You can also apply online at https://oas.soros.org/oas/. Interested candidates may partner with a local NGO but proposals from NGOs on behalf of youth will not be accepted.
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